Apple’s Foldable iPhone Hits Key Milestone as Foldable iPad Gets Shelved

Apple’s foldable iPhone is no longer just a rumor. Recent leaks from Digitimes suggest the company has quietly entered the early stages of making its first-ever folding phone, with plans to launch it in 2026 alongside the iPhone 18 series.

After years of seeing Samsung, Oppo, and others push foldables, Apple is finally stepping into the game – but with its classic “best, not first” approach. Here’s everything we know so far.

iPhone Fold Enters Prototype Testing Phase

According to supply chain reports, Apple started the Prototype 1 (P1) phase in June 2025. This is the first stage where Apple builds fully working units to test internally. If things go smoothly, it will finish prototype testing by the end of this year and move to the next stage called Engineering Verification Testing (EVT).

Interestingly, Apple was also working on a foldable iPad or even an all-screen foldable MacBook. But that project has been put on hold due to manufacturing challenges, high costs of foldable displays, and limited consumer demand for large foldables. So for now, the focus is fully on the foldable iPhone.

What will the iPhone Fold look like?

While Apple hasn’t finalised the specs, leaks suggest it will have:

• A 7.58-inch Samsung-made OLED display that folds with an almost invisible crease.
• No Face ID, but instead a side-mounted Touch ID scanner.
• An under-display front camera to keep the screen notch-free.
• A dual 48MP rear camera setup.
• A body thickness of around 9–9.5mm when folded, making it slim for a foldable.
• Titanium alloy chassis with a liquid metal hinge for added durability.

And as expected from Apple, it won’t be cheap. Reports hint at a launch price between $2,100 and $2,300.

When is Foldable iPhone coming out?

If everything goes to plan, Apple might announce the foldable iPhone in September 2026 alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models. The device is still early in development, and it needs to pass multiple testing phases before mass production.

Apple’s foldable journey has just begun, but knowing the company, it wants to make sure the final product is refined, crease-free, and durable enough to become your next iPhone upgrade without the compromises that early foldables had.

What happened to the foldable iPad?

Alongside the foldable iPhone, Apple was developing a large foldable device, widely speculated to be a foldable iPad or an all-screen foldable MacBook. Reports said it was supposed to be between 18.8 and 20.2 inches with an OLED display and crease-free design. Some leaks even suggested a launch window between 2026 and 2028.

However, Apple has paused development on this foldable iPad for now. The reasons? Manufacturing difficulties, high production costs of foldable displays, and modest consumer demand for large foldables. But this doesn’t mean it’s cancelled forever. Apple might revisit it when display technology improves and becomes cheaper.